Part 8
The manners, and the circumstances attending the situation of this mulatto were strongly interesting. Her whole deportment bespake a degree of refinement, with a superiority of understanding; and indicated talents capable of high improvement. Probably, if fortune had so placed her in life, as to have offered her the acquirements of a chaste and cultivated education, this woman, notwithstanding the colour of her skin, would have made a faithful and virtuous wife; been an ornament to her friends and society; and a blessing to the man who should have made her the partner of his hours.
The taverns are commonly known by the names of the persons who keep them. The most frequented, at Bridge-town, are those of Nancy Clarke, and Mary Bella Green; the former a black—the latter a mulatto woman. Mrs. Clarke, or Mrs. Green would scarcely be known! A party is said to dine at Mary Bella Green’s, or at Nancy Clarke’s; or, more concisely, at _Mary Bella_’s or at _Nancy_’s. The title _Mrs._ seems to be reserved, solely, for the ladies from Europe, and the white creoles, and to form a distinction between them and the women of colour of all descriptions; none of whom, of whatever shade or degree, are dignified with this appellation.
In the evening, after taking our first dinner on shore, Dr. Cleghorn and myself made a walk to visit the hospitals and barracks at St. Anne’s Hill; on our way back to Bridge-town, we were accosted by two negro girls of respectable appearance, sitting upon the step of a gentleman’s gateway, by the road side.
Being just arrived in a land of slavery, and feeling desirous to converse with the Africans, and their descendants, in order to ascertain whether any deficiency of intellect, or inferiority of natural capacity was observable among them, we gladly passed a few minutes, in conversation with these decent-looking young slaves. They were the property of the gentleman, at whose gate they were sitting; and were employed as house servants, or as they are here termed, “_house-wenches_[3],” in his family.
Trifling as it is, I give you the conversation as it passed, divesting it only of the broken accent, with which our language is spoken by the negroes. It will serve to show you that the replies were not inapposite: and perhaps not inferior to what might have been expected, from the common order of people in Europe. One of the girls was about sixteen, the other eighteen years of age. They conversed with ease and affability, but were very respectful and unassuming; and their whole conduct might have done credit to European servants, not of the lowest class.
On our asking to whom they belonged, they replied, “We belong to Col. B.’s lady.” Is this Col. B.’s house? “Yes; but the Col. is not at home—he is gone to England.” How does it happen that you are sitting here, instead of being in the house at work? “Our work, for to-day, is finished, and we came to the gate to see the strangers, as they pass by.” What strangers? “The strangers, who are come with the army, from Old England.” Do you like to meet strangers? “Oh! yes, yes!” And to talk with them? “Yes, if they talk with us.” Are the people, here, kind to strangers? “Oh, yes! it is always our custom: every body should be more kind to strangers than to their own people.” Why so?—should we not be kind to every body? “Yes! we should be kind to every body, but we should be more kind to strangers, because they come far from their own home, and their friends; and because we may some time travel ourselves, and want kindness from others.” Have you ever been far from your home? “No! but, perhaps, we may some day.” How far have you ever travelled from your master’s house? “Never more than five miles.” Did you ride or walk? They both smiled, and hung down their heads. No reply could have been more expressive, or better understood! “Ride! a slave ride! you are strangers here indeed! No! we walked, bore our burden on our backs, and journeyed on our naked feet!” We bade them good night, and walked on, pleased with the rencontre.
LETTER XVIII.
Carlisle Bay, Feb.
The office of caterer for the mess having fallen to the lot of your friend, I may tell you that I sometimes go to Bridge-town, to buy living meat for dinner. You will, perhaps, be surprised to learn that, here, animals are brought alive into the market, to be killed after the different joints are sold: and, that it often happens, that the meat is slaughtered, consigned to the pot or spit, brought to table, and eaten, without growing cold!
The filthy custom of blowing the meat, is carried to greater excess at Barbadoes, than in England. As soon as the calf is dead, a small opening is cut near to the hock, and the whole surface is inflated like a full-blown bladder. The skin is then taken off, and the meat distributed to the purchasers for immediate use.
Leaving our comrades, Weir, and Master, on board, Cleghorn and myself frequently make excursions on shore, and stroll about the town and the fields, by way of exercise, and of gratifying a strong curiosity to see and know all that appertains to the change we have made. In these rumblings, we often surprise the West Indians, by, what they term, the dangerous extent of our walks; and they assure us that, a few months hence, we shall be little inclined to use such _violent_ exercise. A walk of five or six miles appears to them _tremendous_: but we suffer no inconvenience from it, and, without being, yet, well able to judge, we fancy that much of the languor and inactivity of the creoles and creolised, might be prevented, and stronger health enjoyed, if they were to accustom themselves, more freely, to habits of activity. Against our theory they urge experience, remarking that all Europeans, however fond of using much exercise, on their first arrival, gradually lapse into the same indolent indulgence as the natives.
After one of these excursions we returned to Bridge-town, by way of Pilgrim, the residence of the governor; a pleasant home, situated upon an elevated spot, about a mile from the town. Near this place our attention was arrested by a party of slaves, or, according to the language of the island, a _gang of negroes_, who were employed in making a road to the governor’s house. It was the first large body of slaves we had met with, toiling at their regular employment, immediately under the lash of the whip; and we could not but remark that the manner of executing the task afforded a striking example of the effect of climate, and of slavery. Nothing of diligence, or industry appeared among them; and but little of bodily labour was expended. They seemed almost too idle to raise the hammer, which they let fall by its own weight, repeating the blow several times, upon the same stone, until it was broken to pieces. A mulatto overseer attended them, holding a whip at their backs; but he had every appearance of being as much a stranger to industry, as the negroes; who proceeded very indolently, without seeming to be at all apprehensive of the driver or his whip, except when he made it fall across them in stripes.
In proportion to the work done by English labourers, and the price, usually, paid for it, the labour of these slaves could not be calculated at so much as twopence per day; for almost any two men in England would do as much work in a given time, as was performed by a dozen of these wretched, meager-looking _blacks_.
In our perambulations, we often witness gross and disgusting scenes among the slaves. Lately we saw a naked washing party, whose skins exhibited very indecently the crowded scars of repeated punishment. Women are sometimes seen milking themselves, as they walk along the streets, and both sexes are observed lying about in pairs, picking the vermin from each others heads.
You will be more shocked, perhaps, than surprised that such-like indecencies should be practised among the slaves; but you will join in my regret that they should happen before the eyes of European wives, and spinsters; and will lament the sad effect which the frequent recurrence of such offensive exhibitions must, necessarily, have in destroying that modesty and delicacy of sentiment, which render so truly lovely, while they so much embellish the female mind.
Of this baneful effect, I am sorry to have it in my power to mention a striking example, which lately occurred to my notice. Being in company with a large party of Europeans, and white creoles, friends and strangers, male and female, husbands, wives, widows, and maidens, it happened at the time when the party was assembled, during the short interval before dinner, that a sweet little babe, only a few months old, was brought into the room, by its black nurse, to be presented to the company; when the woman, who, with the exception of one short petticoat, was in perfect nudity, was desired, before all present, to suckle the child; and at the same time the mother and grandmother, two most respectable ladies, in order to divert the infant, amused themselves by slapping, pressing, shaking about, and playing with the flaccid breasts of the slave, with very indelicate familiarity, and without seeming to be at all sensible, that it was, in any degree, indecent or improper!
One day, in passing along the street, we chanced to see a fight between two women of colour, one a negro, the other a mulatto. The crowd, about them, was very great, and European curiosity induced us to wait the result; but we have no desire to witness such another contest. You can have no conception of the ferocious means which were used by these women to injure each other. Not only biting, pinching, slapping, and scratching were employed; but with the more horrid brutality of the American gouchers, and in the most deliberate manner, did each of these females thrust her thumb or fingers into the nose, mouth, or eyes, of the other, striving, in all the bitterness and cruelty of savage nature, to tear to pieces, to blind, or to maim her opponent.
LETTER XIX.
Barbadoes, Feb.
It is Sunday, and, separated by the wide Atlantic, I take up my pen to hallow the sabbath to my friend. Mentally I am every day in your society: but on the sabbath I breathe a still warmer aspiration to dear England, and sanctify the wish that we were, personally, nearer. Were you here to participate, with me, the novel scenes which occur to my observation, they would have a double interest, and I should find a charm in many things which now convey only a languid impression.
This is a day of festivity among the slaves. They are passionately fond of dancing; and Sunday offering them an interval from toil, is, generally, devoted to their favorite amusement. Instead of remaining at rest, they undergo more fatigue, or at least more personal exertion, during their gala hours of Saturday night and Sunday, than is demanded from them, in labour, during any four days of the week.
They assemble, in crowds, upon the open green, or in any square or corner of the town, and, forming a ring in the centre of the throng, dance to the sound of their beloved music, and the singing of their favorite African yell. Both music and dance are of a savage nature. Their songs are very simple, but harsh and devoid of melody.
The instrumental parts of the band consist of a species of drum, a kind of rattle, and the ever-delighting banjar. The first is a long hollow piece of wood, with a dried sheep-skin tied over the end; the second is a calabash containing a number of small stones, fixed to a short stick which serves as the handle; and the third is a coarse and rough kind of guitar. While one negro strikes the banjar, another shakes the rattle with great force of arm; a third sitting across the body of the drum, as it lies lengthwise upon the ground, beats and kicks the sheep-skin at the end, in violent exertion with his hands and heels; and a fourth sitting upon the ground at the other end, behind the man upon the drum, beats upon the wooden sides of it with two sticks. Together with these noisy sounds, numbers of the party of both sexes bawl forth their dear delighting song with all possible force of lungs: from the _tout ensemble_ of the scene, a spectator would require only a slight aid from fancy to transport him to the savage wilds of Africa. On great occasions the band is increased by an additional number of drums, rattles, and voices.
The dance consists of stampings of the feet, twistings of the body, and a number of strange indecent attitudes. It is a severe bodily exertion—more bodily indeed than you can well imagine, for the limbs have little to do in it. The head is held erect, or, occasionally, inclined a little forward; the hands nearly meet before; the elbows are fixed, pointing from the sides; and, the lower extremities being held rigid, the whole person is moved without lifting the feet from the ground. Making the head and limbs fixed points, they writhe and turn the body upon its own axis, slowly advancing towards each other, or retreating to the outer parts of the ring. Their approaches, with the figure of the dance, and the attitudes and inflexions in which they are made, are highly indecent: but of this they seem to be wholly unconscious, for the gravity, I might say the solemnity of countenance, under which all this passes, is peculiarly striking, indeed almost ridiculous. Not a smile, not a significant glance, nor an immodest look escapes from either sex: but they meet, in very indecent attitudes, under the most settled, and unmeaning gravity of countenance. Occasionally they change the figure by stamping upon the feet, or making a more general movement of the person, but these are only temporary variations; the twistings and turnings of the body seeming to constitute the supreme excellence of the dance.
For the most part only two enter the ring at a time, but, occasionally, as many as three or four; each making a small contribution to the band at the time of stepping into the circle. They dance, violently, together until one is tired, and when this escapes from the circle another assumes the place, thus continuing to follow, one by one, in succession, so as frequently to keep up the dance, without any interval, for several hours.
The musicians and dancers equally delight in the amusement. They exert themselves until their skins pour off copious streams. The band seem quite insensible to fatigue, for in proportion as the fluid distils from their pores, they increase their efforts, raising their voices, and beating the drum and the rattle, with additional violence; and such of the spectators whose olfactories have no relish for African odours, are sadly annoyed by the high-essenced exhalation which spreads itself around.
As I was looking on, at one of these dances, I observed a soldier’s wife, from the north of Tweed, gazing with curiosity and astonishment amidst the throng; and seeing her features marked with surprise and dissatisfaction, I asked her what she thought of the African dance. “_Oot_,” said she, “_’tis an unco way o’ spending the sabbath night._” And on my asking her if there were any as pretty women in the Highlands of Scotland, she, instantly, replied, “_Whether or not—they smell better._”
Presently a soldier, passing that way, and observing the dance, asked a mulatto who was standing by, for a cud of tobacco, and twisting it between his lower lip and his teeth, forced his path, through the crowd, into the middle of the ring; and there placing himself, between the negro and the girl who were dancing, set the nymph in African step and figure. Wowski was responsive, and they danced, cordially, together; but soon finished by footing it, in quick step, from the ring, happily enfolded in each others’ arms, to the great disappointment of poor Sambo; who, no doubt, thought to regain his partner as soon as the soldier had grown tired in the dance.
Near this merry green I witnessed a sad fracas between a negro man and woman, in consequence of gaming; which is a very prevailing passion among the blacks.
Having led you to the loud song, and sprightly dance of the slaves, let me now conduct you to their bed of death. Seeing a crowd in one of the streets, and observing a kind of procession, we joined the multitude, and soon found ourselves in the train of a negro funeral. Wishing to be present at the ceremony of interment, we proceeded to the burial-ground, with the throng. The corpse was conveyed in a neat small hearse, drawn by one horse. Six boys, twelve men, and forty-eight women walked behind, in pairs, as followers, but I cannot say as deeply afflicted mourners. The females were neatly clad, for the occasion, being mostly in white. Grief and lamentations were not among them: nor was even the semblance thereof assumed. No solemn dirge was heard: no deep-sounding bell was tolled: no fearful silence held. It seemed a period of mirth and joy! Instead of weeping and bewailing, the attendants jumped and sported, as they passed along, and talked and laughed, with each other, in high festivity. The procession was closed by five robust negro fishermen, who came behind playing antic gambols, and dancing all the way to the grave.
At the gate of the burying-ground the corpse was taken from the hearse, and borne by eight negroes, not upon their shoulders, but upon four clean white napkins placed under the coffin. The body was committed to the grave, immediately on reaching it, without either prayer or ceremony; and the coffin, directly, covered with earth. In doing this, much decent attention was preserved. The mould was not shovelled in roughly with the spade, almost disturbing the dead, with the rattling of stones and bones upon the coffin, but was first put into a basket, and then carefully emptied into the grave; an observance which might be adopted in England very much to the comfort of the afflicted friends of the deceased.
During this process an old negro woman chanted an African air, the multitude joining in chorus. It was not in the strain of a solemn requiem, but was loud and lively, in unison with the other gaieties of the occasion.
Many were laughing and sporting all the time with the fishermen, who danced and gambolled upon the neighbouring graves during the ceremony. From the moment the coffin was committed to the earth, nothing of order was maintained by the party: but the attendants dispersed in various directions, retiring, or remaining, during the filling up of the grave, as inclination seemed to lead.
When the whole of the earth was replaced, several of the women, who had stayed to chant, in merry song, over poor Jenny’s remains, took up each a handful of the mould, and threw it down upon the grave of their departed friend, as the finishing of the ceremony, crying aloud, “_God bless you, Jenny! good-by! remember me to all friends t’ other side of the sea, Jenny! Tell ’em me come soon! Good-by, Jenny, good-by! See for send me good——to-night, Jenny! Good-by, good night, Jenny, good-by!_” All this was uttered in mirth and laughter, and accompanied with attitudes and gesticulations expressive of any thing but sorrow or sadness.
From the grave-digger we learned that poor Jenny had been a washerwoman, and that the females who had, so merrily, sounded her requiem, had been her sud associates. They had full faith in Jenny’s transmigration to meet her friends, at her place of nativity: and their persuasion that death was only a removal from their present to their former home; a mere change from a state of slavery to a state of freedom; did not barely alleviate, but wholly prevented the natural grief and affliction arising from the loss of a friend. They confidently expected to hear from poor Jenny, or to know her influence in the way they most desired, before morning.
The faith of these poor ignorant slaves, regarding a happy transmigration, after death, might seem calculated to lead them to the crime of suicide; and, this effect of their superstition is said not to have been unfrequent among them. A tale is told of a singular remedy having been practised against this fatal proceeding of the negroes. Several individuals of a gang having hanged themselves in order to escape from a cruel master; and others being about to avoid his severities by similar means, he prevented them, by the happy expedient of threatening to hang himself, also, and to transmigrate, with them, carrying the whip in his hand, into their own country; where he would punish them ten times more severely than he had hitherto done. The stratagem is said to have succeeded. Finding they could not, thus, escape from the tyrannic lash, they resolved, rather than receive disgraceful stripes, among their African friends, to continue their existence under all the hardships of slavery.
LETTER XX.
Barbadoes, Feb.
Having fatigued you, in my late letters, with tedious notes, concerning the slaves and their customs, I feel happy to have it in my power to introduce you to the society of their masters. Through the friendly medium of Mr. Benjamin Hinde, a merchant of great respectability in Bridge-town, we have been made known to several gentlemen who reside in the country, and are of importance in the island: and who, with the most liberal and friendly hospitality, offer us the means of seeing the whole of Barbadoes, and of witnessing the customs and manners of its inhabitants. It were unnecessary to remark that this will be a great source of gratification, and will lead us to rejoice in the event, while we lament the cause of our delay.
We have made a ride about four miles into the country, to dine with one of our professional brethren, Dr. Hinde, a man of high acquirements, and sound knowledge. He was educated in England, and remained many years, in the prosecution of his studies, at Cambridge. Until lately he employed himself in the practice of medicine, at Bridge-town; but he has now retired, in great part, from the fatigues of medical occupation, to engage in the more genial, and more lucrative employment of a planter. To the inhabitants of the town this is a severe loss; and they, justly, lament the absence of a man not less endeared to them by his urbanity and private worth, than by his eminent professional talents.
We enjoyed exceedingly the ride to the doctor’s estate; which is situated upon much higher ground than the immediate environs of Bridge-town; the country rising towards the interior of the island, in elevated ranges of distinct table-land. At one spot we ascended by a very steep road, and, having reached the summit of the acclivity, found ourselves again upon an extensive plain. Soon afterwards we came to another rocky precipice, and having mounted this, by a path of difficult ascent, we arrived upon another, and still higher range of table-land. From the points of these sudden elevations we commanded extensive and pleasing views of the country below, of Bridge-town, of the sea, and of the shipping in Carlisle Bay.